Air washer having humidifying function

Abstract

An air washer adsorbs outside contaminated air to disks, which have water films formed thereon, and settles contaminants in water in a water reservoir, thus purifying and humidifying air.

1. An air washer having a humidifying function, comprising:
 a housing having an air inlet port and an air outlet port therein; 
 a blower fan for drawing air into the housing and discharging the air outside the housing; 
 a disk assembly removing foreign substances from the air and humidifying the air; and 
 a drive unit operating the blower fan and the disk assembly, 
 wherein the disk assembly comprises a disk shaft, and a plurality of disks fitted over the disk shaft, the disks having a planar shape, and a plurality of ribs are arranged between a center of the disks and an outer edge thereof on at least one surface of the disks in a radial direction by protrusion, 
 wherein the disk assembly further comprises a disk shaft handle, comprising an insert part to be fitted over the disk shaft, and a grip part connected to the insert part, 
 wherein the housing comprises a water reservoir, the air washer further comprising: 
 a sterilizing unit installed in the water reservoir, and 
 the sterilizing unit comprises a sterilizing chip, and a receiving frame for removably receiving the sterilizing chip therein, and 
 an installation slot, into which the receiving frame is inserted, is formed in the water reservoir, wherein the installation slot is formed in an installation protrusion provided on the inner surface of the water reservoir. 
 
     
     
       2. The air washer as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the disk shaft has a stop ring on a first end thereof, and the disk assembly further comprises an end cap fitted over a second end of the disk shaft. 
     
     
       3. The air washer as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein the disk assembly further comprises a spacer fitted over the disk shaft between the disks, with gear teeth formed on a circumferential outer surface of the spacer. 
     
     
       4. The air washer as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein
 a flange is provided on the end cap, 
 a mounting protrusion protrudes from the second end of the disk shaft, the mounting protrusion being bent in a circumferential direction of the disk shaft, and 
 an insert slot is formed through the flange, so that the mounting protrusion is inserted into the insert slot. 
 
     
     
       5. The air washer as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein a stopper protrudes from an end of the rib in a circumferential direction. 
     
     
       6. The air washer as set forth in  claim 5 , wherein
 a curved part is formed in the rib, the curved part being convex in a direction opposite a direction in which the disk is rotated, and 
 a bent part is formed in the rib between the curved part and the stopper, the bent part being bent convex in a direction opposite the direction in which the disk is rotated. 
 
     
     
       7. The air washer as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein
 the housing comprises an upper housing, and a lower housing provided under the upper housing, 
 the air washer further comprising: 
 a switch provided in the upper housing, and comprising a switch body, and a switching bar provided on the switch body to turn on or off power of the air washer, wherein 
 a support member for supporting the switching bar is provided in the lower housing. 
 
     
     
       8. The air washer as set forth in  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a bracket provided in the upper housing, the bracket having therein a switch seat, into which the switch is seated, wherein 
 first mounting hooks are provided at opposite positions in the bracket, and 
 second mounting hooks are provided in the upper housing at positions corresponding to the respective first mounting hooks such that the second mounting hooks face the respective first mounting hooks. 
 
     
     
       9. The air washer as set forth in  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a bracket provided in the upper housing, the bracket having therein a switch seat, into which the switch is seated, wherein 
 locking hooks are provided in the bracket at respective opposite sides of the switch seat. 
 
     
     
       10. The air washer as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a handle seat for seating the grip part of the disk shaft handle thereinto is formed in the housing. 
 
     
     
       11. The air washer as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein a surface of a part of the housing onto which the grip part of the disk shaft handle is seated is inclined at a predetermined angle. 
     
     
       12. The air washer as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein a support rib is provided on an inner surface of a sidewall of the housing, and the handle seat is formed in an upper edge of the support rib. 
     
     
       13. The air washer as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the disk shaft has a cross-section such that upper and lower portions thereof are asymmetrical based on a horizontal line passing through a center thereof, and such that left and right portions thereof are asymmetrical based on a vertical line passing through the center thereof. 
     
     
       14. The air washer as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein the cross-section of the disk shaft is symmetric with respect to a diagonal direction based on the center thereof. 
     
     
       15. The air washer as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein the cross-section of the disk shaft has at an upper end thereof a first convex part, which is convex upwards, and has at a lower end thereof a second convex part, which is convex downwards such that the first and second convex parts are oriented in opposite directions. 
     
     
       16. The air washer as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a water reservoir, and shaft seats, into which respective opposite ends of the disk shaft are seated, are formed in the water reservoir, the shaft seats being shaped differently from each other. 
     
     
       17. The air washer as set forth in  claim 16 , wherein a diameter of a first end of the disk shaft is less than a diameter of a second end thereof, so that the first and second ends of the disk shaft are differently shaped from each other. 
     
     
       18. The air washer as set forth in  claim 16 , wherein a length of a first end of the disk shaft is less than a length of a second end thereof, so that the first and second ends of the disk shaft are differently shaped from each other. 
     
     
       19. The air washer as set forth in  claim 18 , wherein a stop piece is provided in a first shaft seat of the differently shaped shaft seats, so that, when the second end of the disk shaft, which is longer than the first end thereof, is seated in the first shaft seat, the stop piece interferes with the second end of the disk shaft to prevent the second end of the disk shaft from being seated in the first shaft seat. 
     
     
       20. The air washer as set forth in  claim 16 , wherein a plurality of ribs, each having an arc shape, is provided on a surface of each of the disks. 
     
     
       21. The air washer as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the air inlet port comprises a plurality of air inlet ports, and a plurality of inlet air guide blades is provided in each of the air inlet ports such that air drawn into the air inlet port is guided towards a center of the blower fan. 
     
     
       22. The air washer as set forth in  claim 21 , wherein each of the inlet air guide blades is inclined downwards and towards the center of the blower fan and is formed in an arc shape along a corresponding sidewall of the housing. 
     
     
       23. The air washer as set forth in  claim 21 , wherein each of four sidewalls of the housing has a concave arc shape when seen in a plan view, and the air inlet ports are formed in an upper surface of the housing at three respective portions including a portion adjacent to a rear wall of the housing and portions adjacent to opposite sidewalls of the housing, each of the air inlet ports having a triangular shape. 
     
     
       24. The air washer as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the sterilizing unit is disposed ahead of front sides of the disks, at which the disks enter water in the water reservoir when the disk is rotated. 
     
     
       25. The air washer as set forth in  claim 24 , wherein the disk assembly comprises a first disk set and a second disk set, and the sterilizing unit is disposed ahead of the front sides of the disks between the first and second disk sets. 
     
     
       26. The air washer as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein
 a locking groove is formed in an outer surface of the receiving frame, so that, when the receiving frame is inserted into the installation slot of the installation protrusion, a locking protrusion provided on the installation protrusion is inserted into the locking groove. 
 
     
     
       27. The air washer as set forth in  claim 26 , wherein a cut slot is formed in the installation protrusion in a direction in which the receiving frame is inserted into the installation slot of the installation protrusion. 
     
     
       28. The air washer as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein a fitting hole is formed through the disk, the disk shaft is fitted into the fitting hole, and an outer rim is provided on the disk around the fitting hole at a position spaced apart from the fitting hole. 
     
     
       29. The air washer as set forth in  claim 28 , wherein an inner rim is provided on the disk between the fitting hole and the outer rim. 
     
     
       30. The air washer as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein rolling prevention means is formed in an outer edge of the disk. 
     
     
       31. The air washer as set forth in  claim 30 , wherein the rolling prevention means is formed by depressing part of the outer edge of the disk. 
     
     
       32. The air washer as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the disk assembly comprises a plurality of disks, and a distance between adjacent disks ranges from 6.5 mm to 8.6 mm. 
     
     
       33. The air washer as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a shroud surrounding the blower fan, the shroud protruding a surface of the housing outwards. 
 
     
     
       34. The air washer as set forth in  claim 33 , wherein the housing comprises:
 a first upper housing; and 
 a second upper housing coupled to a lower end of the first upper housing, 
 wherein the air inlet port for drawing air is formed in an upper surface of the first upper housing, and the outlet port for discharging air is formed in a sidewall of the second upper housing. 
 
     
     
       35. The air washer as set forth in  claim 34 , wherein an air inflow passage, which is defined in the first upper housing, has a rectangular cross-section, and an air inflow passage, which is defined by the shroud, has a circular cross-section.